Mainers across the state are facing the prospect that they will not see their federal food benefits topped up this month as the U.S. government remains shut down.
The Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday it will partially fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, after two judges issued rulings requiring it to keep the nation’s largest food aid program running.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, had planned to freeze payments starting Nov. 1 because the agency said it could no longer keep funding the program during the government shutdown. The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. It costs more than $8 billion per month nationally.
The government says an emergency fund it will use has $4.65 billion — enough to cover about half the normal benefits.
Exhausting the fund potentially sets the stage for a similar situation in December if the shutdown isn’t resolved by then.
In Maine, nearly 170,000 Mainers are enrolled in SNAP, which provides an average of $572 per family every month. Washington and Somerset counties have the highest percentage of residents receiving food stamps, with 20% of those counties’ populations receiving assistance.
The ongoing government shutdown has drawn criticism from across Maine, with Gov. Janet Mills last week calling on Trump to tap into emergency funds before the “unacceptable” lapse in aid. Mills announced last Wednesday she would release $1 million to hunger relief programs amid the shutdown.
The lapse has also spurred many communities into action to help provide for their neighbors. A number of businesses and restaurants are offering meal deals to families impacted by the shutdown, and food pantries are shifting into high gear to meet an uptick in demand.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
